International Day of the Girl

From the desk of GSSNE CEO, Dana Borrelli-Murray:

"A girl should be two things: who and what she wants." — Coco Chanel

In 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 to declare October 11 as the International Day of the Girl, to recognize the unique challenges girls face around the world and to promote girls’ empowerment and well-being. As one of my favorite t-shirts proudly displays, “Girls just want to have fundamental human rights.”

On today’s International Day of the Girl, I am thinking a lot about investing in girl power.

A quick internet search shows that more than 1,000 studies have provided evidence that high-quality girls’ education around the world leads to wide-ranging returns, most notably better outcomes in economic areas of growth and income. Investing in girls leads to a laundry list of global positive economic and social changes, including reduced rates of infant and maternal mortality, reduced rates of malaria and other diseases, increased resilience to natural disasters, and increased agricultural productivity.

From the founding of Girl Scouts in 1912 until now, prioritizing the lives of girls worldwide is still a fundamentally radical concept. And while we’ve come a long way in terms of policies and practices that have led to more gender equity, we continue to fall behind.

Did you know:

Over 60% of teen girls report feelings of persistent sadness and hopelessness, a marker of a widespread and significant mental health crisis.
US poverty rates are highest with women, especially women of color in the 18-24 age category, at 21.5% in 2021.
American women in 2022 typically earned 82 cents for every dollar earned by men. This gender pay gap has remained largely the same for over twenty years.
Only 1.9% of US philanthropy is focused on funding for women and girls.

The United Nations has stated that “If effectively supported during the adolescent years, girls have the potential to change the world. An investment in realizing the power of adolescent girls upholds their rights today and promises a more equitable and prosperous future, one in which half of humanity is an equal partner in solving the problems of climate change, political conflict, economic growth, disease prevention, and global sustainability.”

I couldn’t agree more. This is why I am proud to announce that Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England has been selected as one of only four Girl Scout councils to participate in the United Nations 2024 Commission on Status of Women. Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England will join over 5,000 women and girls from around the world at the United Nations headquarters in New York in March to focus on the topic of gender and the poverty gap. The Commission on the Status of Women is a functional commission of the UN, dedicated exclusively to gender equality and the advancement of women. Our GSSNE team of four Senior and Ambassaor-level Girl Scouts will evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards, and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and the advancement of women worldwide.

We cannot wait to bring the voices of girls and young women to the global stage.

As we celebrate International Day of the Girl, let's recognize the incredible potential that girls hold and the critical role that organizations like Girl Scouts play in nurturing that potential. By investing in girls' education, well-being, and empowerment, we can create a brighter and more equitable future for all. Stay tuned.

Pictured: GSSNE's 2017 participants at the UN Commission on the Status of Women